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Most schools have rolling admissions and financial help so you can start your degree in a few weeks!

Compare School Options

Most schools have rolling admissions and financial help so you can start your degree in a few weeks!

Our Research

To determine the best schools, we took into account the physical features of the campus as well as the average number of sunny days per year. We also considered the availability of hiking trails, waterfront views, and mountain views.

We only included schools in this guide that have been accredited by institutions such as the Higher Learning Commission, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. No matter how nice a college looks, you’ll want to make sure that it’s accredited — this ensures that the program has high academic standards and that your credits will be accepted by another program if you decide to transfer to another college.

  • 26 hours to write this article
  • 63 universities and colleges we assessed
  • 114 education programs we compared

The Top 50 Most Beautiful Campuses

Most Beautiful Campuses badge
01
Intelligent Pick
Indiana University
01
Most Beautiful in the Mid Atlantic
University of Virginia
01
Most Beautiful in the South
Baylor University
01
Most Beautiful Small Liberal Arts University
Furman University
01
Most Beautiful in the Southwest
St. John's College
01
Most Beautiful in New England
College of the Holy Cross
01
Most Affordable
Delaware State University
01
Most Beautiful HBCU South
Dillard University
01
Most Beautiful Mormon University
Brigham Young University
01
Best for Applied Sciences
Rice University
01
Most Beautiful Episcopalian Option
Sewanee: The University of the South
01
Best for Mentoring
Berry College
01
Best Faculty
Duke University
01
Most Beautiful Ivy League Campus
Dartmouth College
01
Best for Internships
College of William and Mary
01
Best for Social Mobility
Pepperdine University
01
Best for Accounting
University of Notre Dame
01
Most Beautiful Women's College Mid Atlantic
Bryn Mawr College
01
Most Beautiful Women's College New England
Mount Holyoke College
01
Happiest Students
Vanderbilt University
01
Best for Studying Abroad
Elon University
01
Best Small College for STEM
Kenyon College
01
Best Student-to-Faculty Ratio
Washington University in St. Louis
01
Most Innovative
Flagler College
01
Best Research University
Stanford University
01
Best Value
Princeton University
01
Best for Experiential Education
Florida Southern College
01
Best for Veterans
Vassar College
01
Most Innovative
Harvard University
01
Best for Engineering
Cornell University
01
Best for Leadership Development
Salve Regina University
01
Best for Computer Science
Northwestern University
01
Best for Graduate Study
University of Colorado Boulder
01
Best for Oceanography
University of Washington
01
Best Value College for Women
Wellesley College
01
Most Beautiful Lutheran Option
St. Olaf College
01
Best Liberal Arts College, Mid Atlantic
Swarthmore College
01
Best for Service Learning
Georgetown University
01
Best for Early Entry
Bard College
01
Best for Environmental Studies
Lewis & Clark College
01
Best Small Liberal Arts College, South
Rhodes College
01
Best for Natural Sciences
Colgate University
01
Most Beautiful Catholic Institution, West
University of San Diego
01
Best for Transfer Students
Loyola Marymount University
01
Most Flexible
University of Missouri
01
Best for Finance
Lehigh University
01
Best for Economics
University of Chicago
01
Best Large Private University, South
Southern Methodist University
01
Best Student-to-Faculty Ratio
University of Richmond
01
Best for Community Engagement
Wake Forest University

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What You Should Know About Finding a Beautiful Campus

Beauty is objective, of course. An attractive campus to one student may look rather unpleasant to another. For example, if you like the classic look of Gothic architecture, you should consider schools such as Georgetown, Duke, and Sewanee. But if that style is too old-fashioned for your taste, you should check out more modern designs such as the sustainable architecture of Lewis & Clark College.

Natural attractions are another factor to consider. Campuses that are located next to a coast or nestled within a mountain range tend to offer amazing views.

Consider taking weather into account as well. After all, it’ll be difficult to truly enjoy the beauty of your campus if it’s often raining or overcast outside. This is one of the main reasons why the Santa Fe campus of St. John’s College ranks so highly on our list — it’s hard to beat Santa Fe’s average of 325 sunny days per year.

What’s Next?

Dozens of schools offer exceptionally beautiful campuses — how will you choose which option is best for you? Here are a few tips that should help you make your decision:

  • Take a tour. A campus might look great on a college’s website but feel much less impressive when you’re actually there. For any college that you’re strongly considering, you should contact the school’s admission office and arrange a guided tour. That way, you can confirm that the college looks just as good in person as it does online.
  • Explore the areas near campus as well. After your tour, you should take the time to check out what the region around the campus has to offer. Easy access to attractions such as hiking trails and state parks can make a beautiful campus even more appealing.
  • Research the climate. If you happened to take a tour of a campus on a day with perfect weather, this might give you an inaccurate impression of what it’s really like to live there. This is an especially big concern if you’re taking a tour during the summer, as many regions with mild summers have miserable winters. Take advantage of resources such as https://en.climate-data.org/Climate-Data.org to get the full picture of a campus’s weather.
  • Think beyond beauty. Of course, you shouldn’t make your decision about where to go to college based on the beauty of the campus alone. You’ll also need to consider what you plan to major in, if you want to stay close to home, and many other factors. To help you find a beautiful campus that works for your specific situation, we’ve highlighted a unique feature for each school included in our guide (Most Beautiful in the South, Best for Computer Science, etc.).

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